Winners 2018/CharityBronze

Project: Bergen International Festival rebrand

Client: Bergen International Festival

Established in 1953, Bergen International Festival (FiB) is the largest classical and avant-garde music and theatre festival in Nordic countries; yet in 2012 it was experiencing a brand crisis. Its core customers were fading and it was becoming invisible to a younger audience who had no interest in classical music.

It was crucial to the FiB’s future that it could challenge public attitudes about classical and avant-garde music and create a new identity that would appeal to the masses.

The outcome was the dynamic ‘F’ concept; a sustainable, cost effective and engaging design solution that offered a visual analogy between a note and a pixel – something which resonated with existing patrons as well as younger fast-paced audiences.

In the first year alone after the rebrand, first-time visitors increased by 100% leading to the highest volume of ticket sales in the history of the festival. Growth has continued since and tickets sales and sponsorship have increased by 57% and 59% respectively, compared to 2012.